


The Daily Double

by Susan



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Coda to 5.18 (Point of No Return), Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-23
Updated: 2011-05-23
Packaged: 2017-10-19 17:22:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/203297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Susan/pseuds/Susan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coda to 5.18 (Point of No Return)<br/>Bobby watches Jeopardy</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Daily Double

Bobby hasn’t been to a movie at a theatre since My Fair Lady was re-released in ’75 and that was only because his wife had a thing for Rex Harrison. She was a sucker for a man with an accent. Audrey Hepburn was a real looker back then, so it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, even with all the caterwauling that passed for singing. He was more a Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon kind of guy.

But ever since he woke up last year with a wheelchair growing out of his ass, he’s rented enough movies from Netflix to ace tonight’s category of “Opening Lines” on Jeopardy. He’s not sure what depresses him more, that he knows all the answers, or that he’s watching Jeopardy every night.

Alex Trebek reads the $1600 clue. “People are always asking me if I know Tyler Durden . . .”

The short guy in the red bow tie (Bobby hates bow ties, hates men who wear bow ties), whose name (Stephen, not Steve, another reason to hate him) is printed carefully in small block letters on the screen below him, buzzes in with “What is Armageddon?”

“Fight Club, asshole,” Bobby yells at the TV. It surprised him how much he hated that movie. But he figures he’s done so much real fighting in his life, he doesn’t have much patience for anyone who does it for fun.

The other two contestants are women (one older, one younger) and neither buzzes in. Stephen-not-Steve asks for the last clue in the category. “Opening Lines for $2000, Alex.” Bobby hates when contestants call him Alex, like they’re old friends.

Alex reads the clue. “As far back as I remember, I’ve always wanted to be a gangster.” Stephen rings in first again and goes for the obvious – “What is The Godfather?” – and Bobby throws a pizza crust at the screen. “Goodfellas, dummy.”

When the phone rings during the next commercial, he mutes the TV before he answers it. “Yeah?”

“You mean I’m funny like I'm a clown?” The voice is familiar. “I make you laugh, I'm here to fuckin' amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?”

“Dean? Is that you? You never could do Pesci worth a damn.”

Bobby remembers the thirteen year old Dean, pissed at his father for dumping him and Sam off at Bobby’s place on his way to a hunt, after he’d promised Dean he could go. When two days turned into two weeks, Dean passed the time watching a VHS tape of Goodfellas on Bobby’s beat-up TV over and over until he knew whole scenes by heart. He’d drag Bobby in to watch it with him some nights after Sam went to sleep and they’d sit on the worn couch passing a bowl of popcorn between them.

“Any word from Dad?” Dean always asked before he went to bed. “Sam was wondering.”

“Not yet.”

Bobby knew John would turn up sooner or later, with a mouthful of apologies and an armful of gas station presents. Dean was always the first to forgive his father.

 

Bobby pictures Dean tonight. Perched on the edge of a motel room bed, a beer in one hand, TV remote in the other, looking for something – anything – that would turn off the soundtrack in his head. “What are you boys doing? Besides wasting time watching Jeopardy?”

“How’d you know I was – ”

“Don’t matter how I know. I just do. And where the hell are you?”

“Some motel somewhere.” Bobby hears Sam’s voice in the background. “Sam says we’re in Wyoming. Outside Wheatland. We should make it back to your place by tomorrow night. Maybe the night after.”

“Glad one of you is paying attention.” Glad you’re still together is what he means. It used to be that the tougher the times, the tighter Sam and Dean were. Circling the wagons, John called it. Now they just circle each other.

“Any sign of Cas?” Dean asks.

“No. It’s been real quiet here.” Too quiet.

“What about – ” Dean blew out a breath. “Adam?”

“Sorry, son.” The word is out of his mouth before he realizes it and it hangs awkwardly between them.

“Me too. About what I said . . . I mean, hell, Bobby, you’ve been more of a – “

Bobby coughs. “Shut the hell up, boy. We all said things we shouldn’t have.”

“I know. But – “

“Just get your ass back here. We got work to do.”

 

Bobby hangs up the phone in time for the final Jeopardy question. “The fourth horseman of the Apocalypse is also known by this name.”

The sound of his beer bottle hitting the TV makes him happier than he’s been in a long time.


End file.
